The suppliers of workforce optimization (WFO) also known as workforce management (WFM) solutions, defined as software that enables staffing forecasting and scheduling, are like those fine retailers who have been adding to their lines but who have not yet embraced the web channel. WFO vendors offer new and updated solutions that improve schedule adherence, bolster schedule management for contact center teams, add more functionality for home-based agents, and supply more support for agent activity.
These applications aggregate and integrate staff scheduling data from all sources. TDIs Encore CenterPlus holds and charts this information against actual agent login and logout times captured from PBXes, ACDs, and predictive dialers, and from HR system timecard information.
Suppliers have also made their software more affordable so that small contact centers can benefit from these tools and use them to replace awkward spreadsheets for staff management.
Some of this innovation has come about as a result of mergers. Not long after Verint and Witness Systems merged, in 2007, the new firm released Impact 360. The WFO/WFM solution includes new features such as outbound forecasting and scheduling, integrated desktop application adherence, and extended workflow capabilities across the suite.
One of the keys that suppliers have been using to create these enhancements is service oriented architecture (SOA). SOA, reports Wikipedia, is a systems development and integration methodology where functionality is grouped around business processes.
“Innovative WFO vendors are using SOA to make their solutions easier to develop, integrate, and to speed up the delivery of new functionality to the market,” says Donna Fluss, President, DMG Consulting LLC.
At the same time, companies have been enriching their WFO solutions with new analytics and dashboard capabilities, integrated into other functions.
Envisions new Centricity product unifies Envisions core WFO applications and significantly expands performance management capabilities by capturing, aggregating and displaying valuable information at the agent, contact…